But there are potential bargains, too. Here's my list of gems, steals and sleepers:

Jay Pandolfo, LW, New Jersey. A perennial Selke candidate, Pandolfo has played his entire 706-game NHL career with the Devils, never scoring more than 14 goals and 27 points in a season. At 33, he's considered one of the game's elite checkers, facing what Behind The Net ranks as some of the most difficult opposition in the league at even strength last season. There's a reason Lou Lamoriello's desperate to re-sign him as he's a huge part of that team's shutdown game. Salary range: $2- to $3-million

Kurt Sauer, D, Colorado. With Adam Foote and John-Michael Liles re-signing with the Avs, Sauer's likely to be the odd-man out and the 6-foot-4, 220-pound stay-at-home blueliner would be a gem (and potentially a steal). Only 27 and coming off a career year despite suffering a concussion that kept him out of 28 games, Sauer was brilliant against top opposition last season. He's not the greatest skater and doesn't lay big hits like Brooks Orpik, but is a solid No. 3 or 4 shutdown defenceman who doesn't take dumb penalties and could blossom into something more. Salary range: $3.5-million

Jason Williams, RW, Chicago. Another young UFA at just 27 (he turns 28 next month), Williams was on pace for a career year with the Blackhawks with 19 points in his first 20 games when groin/hernia issues forced him to miss half of the season. A gifted power-play producer, he could be a 70-point player in the right environment. Salary range: $3-million

Michal Rozsival, D, N.Y. Rangers. Rozsival's a funny case in that, if you talk to those in and around the league, you'll hear good things. If you talk to a Rangers fan, they'd just as soon change the subject. His biggest problem in New York was always that he was played more than 24 minutes a night as the team's No. 1 defenceman when, really, he's a much better fit as a No. 2 or an excellent No. 3. He's a solid skater with great offensive attributes and decent enough numbers, a defender with size who doesn't play big but generally gets the job done in his own end. Salary range: $4.5- to $5-million

Bret Hedican, D, Carolina. Hedican may be closing in on 38, but he's still a terrific skater, and he's coming off a strong season with the Hurricanes on a team that had some issues with defensive depth. He's been miscast in the past as a power-play contributer, but as a veteran in the No. 4 spot, Hedican's as useful as they come. He's expected to settle somewhere on the West Coast this summer. Salary range: $2- to $3-million

Niklas Hagman, LW, Dallas. Hagman was always regarded as a complementary player, someone who would play a third-line role and occasionally chip in with offence. This past season, however, he rang up 27-goals while playing 15:36 minutes a game, a lot of it on the penalty kill. Combine all that with incredible speed and he's an intriguing player. Salary range: $2.5- to $3.5-million

Mark Eaton, D, Pittsburgh. A knee injury derailed what had been a pretty good year for the stay-at-home defender, and Eaton missed the last 50 games of the season and the Penguins' big run to the finals. He's coming off back-to-back seasons with major injuries and lots of missed games, but can be a solid contributer on the penalty kill. Salary range: $2-million

Pascal Dupuis, LW, Pittsburgh. Dupuis's biggest asset is his work ethic, and after turning himself into a checker as a pro following a 50-goal campaign in the QMJHL, he finally showed some offensive prowess in a late-season audition with the Penguins. At the very least, he can play all three forward positions and chip in while shorthanded. Salary range: $2- to $2.5-million

Jeff Finger, D, Colorado. Definitely not a household name at this point, but a player that grew into a role with the Avs and that may still blossom into a top four puck-moving defender. He played 20 minutes a night in Colorado in generally relatively easy situations, but there's potential for him to contribute more on the power play. He blocks shots and has a good shot from the point. Salary range: $1.5- to $2.5-million

The big fish are all going to go right away, but it just might be the teams that scoop up some of these less heralded players in the next week or so that come away the real winners.

Pandolfo played HS hockey in Mass. played college hockey at Boston U. and has played his whole career in NJ. I think the western conference teams can safely take him off their lists; if this guy doesn't re-sign in Jersey he'll be somewhere in the Northeast.

Kurt Sauer will, IMO, be one of the best catches out there today; he's young and doesn't get embarrased playing the big guns. One guy not on your list who might warrant some consideration is the extremely underrated Marek Malik.

Bryce Salvador might also have been a good candidate for that list; he just resigned with New Jersey on a 4-yr 2.9M/annum deal. Seems like fair money and inline with your projection for Sauer. Incidentally, don't you think Finger gets a little more, say 2-2.5M?

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About Me

A sportswriter at The Globe and Mail, James covers the NHL and the game of hockey. He is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, a radio and TV analyst with TSN and was the NHL network manager at SB Nation from 2008 to 2010. A graduate of Thompson Rivers and Ryerson universities, James grew up in Kamloops, B.C. — one of Canada's great hockey cities — and was a season ticket holder in the Blazers' glory years.

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